The May 2006 Hatchet is now online!

Stefani · Post by **Stefani** » Thu May 04, 2006 12:01 pm

The second issue of year three of The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies, is now online for your reading pleasure.

In addition to our great regular Hatchet authors (Eugene Hosey, Sherry Chapman, Mary Elizabeth Naugle, Denise Noe, Kat Koorey, and Douglas Walters) we are pleased to bring you several new Hatchet authors: Neilson Caplain, Michael Brimbau, and Melissa Allen.

Neilson, as some of you know, was the past president of the Fall River Historical Society and for many years wrote a regular column in the Lizzie Borden Quarterly entitled Liz Bits. We are happy to have him contribute to The Hatchet and have plans for several more pieces to follow in later issues.

Michael Brimbau and Melissa Allen are both active members here on the forum and are very talented writers. Michael has penned a very informative piece about book collecting in Fall River and his hunt for the ever elusive first edition Porter. We are honored to publish Melissa Allen's poem titled "Lizzie Borden's Lament."

I am sure all our authors would appreciate any feedback you can offer them for their work.

Subscribers can access the online version and order the print edition (with a choice of B&W or color!) here:
http://www.hatchetonline.com/HatchetOnline/index.htm

Non subscribers can join for a mere $20 per year for all four issues at the same address above.

If you are a non-subscriber, and would like to buy either a hard copy (NOW IN FULL COLOR) or buy a download of the current issue, please visit my store at LuLu.com at this address:

http://www.lulu.com/PearTreePress

Enjoy!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:53 pm

YAY! Thanks Stefani, and everyone who contributed!

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:57 pm

I downloaded it but have not had a chance to even glance through it yet.

I do like the cover art!

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:58 pm

As a subscriber, I love that we have varying options. I love the bound colr copies. I will be tapping my fingers on my desk until my copy arrives ! The cover of this issue is beautiful !

Tracy...

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:03 pm

I agree! It's a Mona Lisa of a Cover!

I like the slideshow, myself.
At least until the bound copy comes!

Sherry Chapman's Bridget cookie recipe is inspired!

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:07 pm

Yes...I will do the slideshow thing until my hardbound arrives...sigh.

I love cookies.

Tracy...

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:07 pm

Why not make some Trace??

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Thu May 04, 2006 11:29 pm

ONCE AGAIN STEFANI, THE COVER ART CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS BRILLIANT. VERY ART'SY. SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE WOULD BE HARD PRESS TO DO BETTER. CONGRATS, THE BEST YET. Will order mine tonight. On to the printed matter.

MB

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:17 am

I agree...I can't imagine other similar publications not being hard pressed to top The Hatchet.

I have been going through the slideshow, and am very impressed with the quality and detail of the content. Both the serious and humorous material merit many kudos !

I may just have to get out my cookie sheets.

Tracy...

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:42 am

Tracy, allow me to exercise my ignorance please. What is a slide show?

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:45 am

the angle of the crop and the crackled effect makes me think differently of Lizzie... Like she was more psychotic than I ever imagined!

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:49 am

I see what you mean Audrey, it's like her life is coming apart and at any moment the entire cover will crumble to the ground.

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Fri May 05, 2006 12:51 am

Michael,

The 'slide show' option of viewing The Hatchet allows the subscriber to view it a page at a time in slide show format. You can click through it at your own speed. Like watching family vacation slides...except that The Hatchet is good ! Just login on the subcriber page and the slide show option will come up as one of SEVERAL viewing options. It's great to be able to view The Hatchet in this format while waiting for the hard copy.

Tracy...

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Fri May 05, 2006 1:05 am

Thanks Tracy: Never thought of looking there.

What a tease huh, ordered my copy a couple of hours ago. I like a hard copy in my hand. I like thumbing thru the pages, smelling the ink, touching the shinny cover..........oh, oh, perhaps I need to go to Get a Date dot com?

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Fri May 05, 2006 1:10 am

mbhenty @ Thu May 04, 2006 11:05 pm wrote:Thanks Tracy: Never thought of looking there.

What a tease huh, ordered my copy a couple of hours ago. I like a hard copy in my hand. I like thumbing thru the pages, smelling the ink, touching the shinny cover..........oh, oh, perhaps I need to go to Get a Date dot com?

Just use that first link Stef posted. It will get you where you need to be.

Tracy...

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Fri May 05, 2006 1:18 am

THANKS TRACY

diana · Post by **diana** » Sun May 07, 2006 8:43 pm

Terrific issue, Stef and all involved!

The visuals are absolutely stunning!

I always mean to savor it slowly and read one article at a sitting -- but as usual, I keep reading until the end. It’s all delightful: the 1896 walk with Lizzie; the informative article on book collecting in 1980's Fall River; Denise Noe’s wonderfully balanced look at Andrew Borden’s character; thought provoking pieces by Eugene and Doug; the original verses inspired by Miss Borden…. We gain side-knowledge on the case from Kat's article on Jay Gould and Mary Elizabeth's look into kleptomania. And, as always, Sherry Chapman nourishes us with humor (and a recipe, to boot!).

Thank you everyone!

Haulover · Post by **Haulover** » Mon May 08, 2006 1:58 am

i'll read it in depth when i get my print edition. it's just not as comfortable at a desk in front of a monitor.

stefani, i think you have a universal approval of your cover. i think the fragmented texture is an obvious effect -- but i think mainly it is the power of an extreme close-up that is cropped, making it intimate and confrontational. overall, your covers get better -- you're always exploring for new effects, and the interior reflects this too. i say this after some observation of other online publications i peruse for fiction--they generally get stale and repetitive. you've still got huge possibilities. that's the first thing i look forward to - what has she done with the cover?

Eugene

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Mon May 08, 2006 9:05 am

Each new cover is my new favorite... Eugene is right--They get better!

It makes me think of magazine offices with framed covers hanging about. This cover is worthy of framing. It depicts Lizzie in a whole new light (to me) and it is like you can feel a sense of loneliness, desperation, steely determination and more-- all rolled into one complex woman.

Stefani · Post by **Stefani** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:49 pm

Thank you all so much for the kind words about the artwork and design. I struggle over it each issue, wanting the new one to be somehow better than the last, although that is a gut feeling rather than something I can define. I spent days and days on that cover. And when I know it is right it just is.

For the December issue last time around I had mock ups of three or four different covers. I just couldn't decide. I asked Kat and she like one I didn't, so I went with a Mark Amarantes photo of the grave that time. You can't go wrong with great photography like Mark's.

Speaking of which, I do accept photos for inclusion in the journal you know. All those book images were from Mr. Brimbau---he gave me quite a collection to choose from.

So if you have any new images of the house, for instance, I would love to have them sent my way. Don't post them if you want to include them in the magazine as that would mean I couldn't print them as they were printed here first.

Send photos to [email protected], making sure they are large in size. Something in the neighborhood of 600+ KB to 1.3 MB. If they are smaller they can't be upsized for print.

Thanks!

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Tue May 09, 2006 3:38 am

I agree with Kat, the cover was so Mona Lisa-esque, I just loved it! Great work by all including Melissa's poem, once again, I just devoured it in one sitting. I'm sorry that I always speak in food terms with The Hatchet, but, I do equate it in a way with a pot luck sort of meal where everyone has brought their special dish to the table to share with the rest of us. Always so satisfying!

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Tue May 09, 2006 12:14 pm

What really enhances the cover are the wonderful colors. Other choices were at the creators disposal when making this cover, such as black n' white, an array of sepia tones or just in illustrated form. But the color version is just right. Surprising how the skin tones display so naturally and the blue back ground striking. And the crackling, well, what better commentary can one make about the trumoil and imperfection which is Lizzie.

Bob Gutowski · Post by **Bob Gutowski** » Tue May 16, 2006 2:43 pm

I got my Lulu color copy yesterday at work (I was off, preparing for last night's musical class presentation). The wonderful, wonderful cover (which I may frame) reminds me of the work of THIS nice lady:

Johniene Papandreas [[email protected]]

I've often said to her, when I see her every year in Provincetown, that if I had the money and a loft with the wall space, I would commission a portrait of Lizzie from the same photo the HATCHET's cover is drawn from.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Wed May 17, 2006 1:44 am

What a gorgeous magazine! Stef, you work wonders. I received my color Lulu copy on Friday and haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Everything looks so good!

Bob Gutowski · Post by **Bob Gutowski** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:59 am

A perticularly well-written issue, methinks! I enjoyed Eugene's look at Angela Carter's important short story. How about a follow-up dealing with her piece "Lizzie's Tiger?" Lizzie's walk about North Main Street was a lovely conceit! I was proud to read The Hatchet on the subway ride home last night and see many fellow-travelers sneaking a peak at the cover.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Wed May 17, 2006 12:11 pm

Hand out "Hatchet" bookmarks on the subway to the curious ones, Bob. Just a suggestion.

Just started reading it this morning. I'm glad Mr. Caplain (okay - you got me. I don't know how to spell 'Neilson') wrote something for us. I enjoyed his article very much. Hope he writes many more!

(That's as far as I got so far.)

I did want to comment on the features before the articles. A snippet from the Forum is always enjoyable. Lizzie mentionings is neat. And the news pages are great. That guy on the chaise lounge makes me feel something of a time traveller. Please don't change a thing.

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Wed May 17, 2006 9:24 pm

I love the snipets from the forum and was thrilled to see one of my posts in this issue!

I have often wondered how many people take the magazine yet do not visit the forum!

Bob Gutowski · Post by **Bob Gutowski** » Thu May 18, 2006 12:06 pm

I loved the photo of that Borden-filled bookcase! It looks like my three shelves on steroids.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Thu May 18, 2006 3:32 pm

Just finished my stroll down Main Street with Lizzie and the HATCHET. Cool! Enjoyed very much Neilson Caplain's, "Lizzie Borden's Main Street in 1896." Of course to me, I can sit, read and know exactly where Lizzie was at every moment, since I have walked Main street many, many hundreds of times and have worked at most of those addresses.

Of all the stores mentioned One is still in business, that being Buffington Florist. Later they moved to their Greenhouse location on Hanover street with their store front facing Robeson Street. The Robeson location is now gone and there's a bank there. Buffington Florists are now located at the bottom of President Ave and Doval.

Love the Post card...........one I do not have. If you look at the postcard, the building on the far right, you can only see just the corner, is the Academy Building and the only building in the photo that is still standing to this day.

Of course, the down town Lizzie walked had a great portion of it destroyed by fire in 1928. Fortunately, Lizzie did not live to see it. Lizzie died 8 months before the fire.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Thu May 18, 2006 5:11 pm

I loved Michael Brimbau's article on book collecting! I had always wanted to visit that Taste of Honey book store, but never did, darn it. He made me feel like I visited it, along with the book store next door. I think a used book store is probably my favorite place to go. I spend hours.

How many books were published of the first edition of the 1893 Porter?

I bought Robert Flynn's reprint at the B & B a while back. They were selling them out of the Leary Press building. It was like $35 or $37. I am thankful that he reprinted it and the Todd Lunday publication.

I found Michael B's article to be extremely well-written and just full of neat bits of info. I hope he writes more book-related articles for 'The Hatchet'.

Haulover · Post by **Haulover** » Thu May 18, 2006 10:30 pm

***A perticularly well-written issue, methinks! I enjoyed Eugene's look at Angela Carter's important short story. How about a follow-up dealing with her piece "Lizzie's Tiger?" Lizzie's walk about North Main Street was a lovely conceit! I was proud to read The Hatchet on the subway ride home last night and see many fellow-travelers sneaking a peak at the cover.***

Bob, thanks for your recommendation on the comprehensive angela carter collection -- the "burning your boats" one. also -- your suggestion is already in progress.......you know, while i'm on it, might as well stay on it.

and i think it's great you're advertising it on the NY subway! and i see we're still talking about that cover -- yes, i would love to have a huge framed portrait of that. this must be the most popular cover yet. that face -- that face! lizzie should be flattered. i was late in ordering my color copy -- i don't have it yet, but it should be here any day now. then i can read every word in detail and critique all of it in detail.

THE HATCHET has been a wonderful project -- one that has changed my life in the opportunity and pleasure it gives. it's a small thing to say, i know -- it's been said -- but i appreciate the work that stefani and kat put into getting the whole thing together -- and it is a very complicated process. i've worked with document design myself, and printing issues that come from that. it REALLY IS a lot of work!

all i hope for now is more more more distribution.......you know, there are many folks out there who would love it who don't know about it.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Fri May 19, 2006 2:37 am

Yes I agree it's so cool to picture Bob G. reading The Hatchet on the New York subway!

We do provide my *interviewees* with a copy of the issue they are in, and they are very pleased with it!

Bob Gutowski · Post by **Bob Gutowski** » Fri May 19, 2006 3:01 pm

Sherry Chapman! You tell Abby that it's no wonder Lizzie didn't care for her! She says that her step-daughter has a birthday coming up in JUNE?

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Sun May 21, 2006 11:16 am

Bob, of course Lizzie's birthday is in July. I knew that. I talked to Abby, and she said she could care less because the girls never get her anything for her birthday - "June, July - it's all the same to me. Why should I care?" Well, I told her that the editor cares, and such faithful readers as you care, and if she makes any more glaring errors like that she can be dismissed and be remembered as just a lump of oatmeal.

(That scared her good. Hyman Ryckebusch called her that in the schoolyard as a child, and she never got over it.)

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Sun May 21, 2006 11:25 am

I so enjoyed Kat's article on "Jay Gould's Yacht"! How she found all she did in her research is surprising. It must have took some real digging.

It was wonderful to read about the Vanderbilts, Astors, etc., and the era of those early vessels. The descriptions were fascinating, and I really enjoyed taking a peek inside like that.

Entertaining and educational, and such a good read. I could not put it down. Thanks for such a treasure, Kat!

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun May 21, 2006 5:04 pm

Wow, thanks!

Bob Gutowski · Post by **Bob Gutowski** » Mon May 22, 2006 11:29 am

Yes, I got to Abby, too, and she hemmed and hawed (and no one hems and haws like Mrs. Borden), and then she said, "Look, it's like only eating oysters in months with an 'r' - I just remember the girls' birthdays in the months beginning with a 'j.'"

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Tue May 23, 2006 11:46 am

I just read Doug Walter's rewritten opening statement of Knowlton. I don't remember offhand what Knowlton said. But I enjoyed Doug's piece. I thought it was very well written.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Wed May 24, 2006 11:03 am

I so enjoyed Mary Elizabeth Naugle's article on kleptomania! I always enjoy her articles and look forward to reading them.

The Rogue's Gallery pictures were great! Love those nicknames!

I thought it was well-written and well-researched. The article she quoted from the old newspaper where the shopkeeper was talking about catching shoplifters was very good. It was all very good.

One question, tho. What does "92 Seconds" mean?

I am going to skip Haulover's piece - certainly no offense to him. It's been a long time since I've read Carter's story, and I can't remember it. I have a copy of it and will read the story later, then read his article. Eugene's pieces are always a treat, and I do look forward to them.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu May 25, 2006 2:00 am

That is an extra good way to appreciate Eugene, by reading the article and then reading his analysis. I always try to do that, too.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat May 27, 2006 4:09 am

I received 4 Hatchets in the mail today from LuLu! WoooWeee thay are gorgeous! We should all be rich and famous!!! Great job everyone!

Haulover · Post by **Haulover** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:34 pm

well, i finally received my printed copy this morning.

kat's article RE the boat surprises me that the subject could be so interesting. i particularly like the way it segues to the case -- morse, the delivery of the paper, the time, etc. also, i noticed kat's newspaper sources are the boston globe and the atlanta constitution.

the atlanta urinal and constipation (nick-named the atlanta journal and constitution) is still in business, of course (they are even "fortunate" enough to have my resume). but i was curious about this -- if for some reason, the atlanta paper was particularly interested in this topic -- or if you just happened to find the articles in it particularly well written or comprehensive. another way of asking the question -- did these two major papers have a corner on this story? it was not well covered in others? or random or convenient selection? just curious.

m brimbau's article on book-collecting made me nostalgic for something we used to have here -- in the old part of downtown, there used to be this huge bookshop that filled a victorian house, including the attic. the owner provided a sitting room with couches and coffee, etc. gone now, but i spent some great weekends there. i bought most of my faulkner and zola collection there, and all sorts of oddities in addition. (i wasn't looking for lizzie then, but i worked on my literary education there.)

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sat May 27, 2006 10:51 pm

That sounds cool, Eugene!

I used the Boston Globe and the Atlanta Constitution, because Boston was nearby with the same cultural interests (of course) but I used the Atlanta paper because the subscription site got rid of their access to The New York Times, L.A. Times, and Chicago Tribune. The price apparently skyrocketed!
However, since The Atlanta Constitution either orginated some of these stories or reprinted them, there must have been an interest. Apparently Atlanta the city is named after the same mythological figure as Gould's yacht: Atalanta.